Written Answers

Tuesday 25 April 2000

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5181 by Ross Finnie on 22 March 2000, why it has not published the report prepared by a panel of industry representatives on the red tape involved in paying EU subsidies to farmers and whether it will now place a copy in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Ross Finnie: The report to which you refer was published in January of this year. Copies of this are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Countryside Premium Scheme

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5415 by Ross Finnie, to provide details of the successful Countryside Premium applications in Dumfries and Galloway in 1999.

Ross Finnie: Details of the successful Countryside Premium Scheme applications in Dumfries and Galloway in 1999 are as follows:

  


Applicant
  

Farm 
  



Physgill Farms
  

Glasserton Mains
  



A Forsyth & Co
  

Mid Bishopton
  



R & E Vance Ltd
  

Broughton Skeog
  



J & A J McKeown
  

North Park
  



James Swan, trading as W C P Swan
  

Dalkest
  



A & B McFarlane
  

Low Salchrie
  



Charles H Kennerley
  

Clachan
  



Slockmill and Inshanks Farms
  

Inshanks
  



Messrs J S Fleming
  

Castle Sinniness
  



Messrs I H Fisher
  

Crailoch

Dentists

Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address the current problems facing dentists in areas of North East Scotland and Highlands and Islands in order to enable them to reopen the waiting lists for routine referrals.

Susan Deacon: Waiting lists for maxillofacial surgery at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary remain open. The Infirmary is continuing to receive routine referrals and I have been assured that patients who require urgent treatment are being seen and treated quickly.

  However, the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Infirmary is experiencing a significant increase in referrals and at present has vacancies in two key consultant posts. As a result, fewer patients than normal are being seen and treated and waiting times are consequently longer than the Department would wish. Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust is working closely with Grampian Health Board to make good the staff shortages as quickly as possible. Meantime, the Trust is making arrangements for locum cover for a specific range of procedures.

Environment

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-56 by Sarah Boyack on 6 October 1999, whether it has received the outcome of the studies by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Environment Agency into the presence of pathogens in sewage and whether it will place a copy in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Sarah Boyack: The research into pathogens in sewage sludge is ongoing. It is being conducted in a number of phases over the next two years. When the DETR’s research has been completed, it will be published and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

European Funding

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Finance met Angela Morgan of the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) in October 1999; whether the Minister was informed at that meeting that SAMH would, unless interim funding arrangements were put in place to bridge the gap between the end of existing European Social Fund programmes and the start of new programmes for 2000 to 2006, have to make staff redundant, and whether, if the situation is not addressed by the end of March, SAMH will issue 54 project staff with 90 day redundancy notices, affecting eight projects training 500 people.

Mr Jack McConnell: Interim funding arrangements were put in place by extending the previous European Social Fund programmes. I have now issued a guarantee for voluntary organisations sponsoring European Social Fund projects in relation to the remaining funding gap before the issue of approvals under the new structural fund programmes.

Fire Service

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-908 by Angus MacKay on 26 August 1999, whether it will give an update of the review of the structure of the Scottish Fire Service.

Mr Jim Wallace: I expect to receive an interim report from the Steering Group shortly. Depending on the conclusions and recommendations further work may be required before a final report can be published.

Fisheries

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the future of freshwater fishing.

Mr John Home Robertson: I am today publishing a review and consultation document,  Protecting and Promoting Scotland's Freshwater Fish and Fisheries , produced jointly by the Scottish Executive and Scottish Natural Heritage.

  The review covers the key issues affecting Scottish freshwater fish, including other species as well as salmon and trout and the consultation poses questions about the conservation of fish stocks, the management of rivers and access to fishing opportunities.

  I hope that this review will promote widespread discussion about these issues, and that it will lead to the development of a new strategy for freshwater fisheries in Scotland.

  Copies of the review and consultation document have been placed in SPICe.

Health

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale is for the public consultation exercise regarding the addition of fluoride to the public water supply.

Susan Deacon: I refer to my answer to question S1W-3922 from Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con).

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive at what point in the process of NHS Trusts matching activity with resources, does it consider that clinical prioritisation becomes rationing.

Susan Deacon: NHS care is not rationed on the grounds of cost. The services provided to meet the needs of particular patients is a question of individual clinical judgement, taking account of the evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness of alternative treatments. Health boards and NHS Trusts have to plan and deliver services which meet the needs of their local population within the resources allocated to them, taking account of national and local priorities. The Scottish Executive is committed to year-on-year increases in NHS spending in real terms.

Higher Education

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council on developing a strategic approach for the provision of tuition in languages to students and, if so, what the outcome has been.

Henry McLeish: There has been no such discussion between the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.

  Ministers are precluded from directing SHEFC in its allocation of funding to institutions for specific courses.

  Last year, the council awarded a grant of £675,000 to the University of Stirling to establish the SCOTLANG Project. This is a three-year project which is aimed at co-ordinating and enhancing research on the use, learning and teaching of modern foreign languages in Scotland. The project is based at the Centre for Information in Language Teaching and Research (CILT) in the Institute for Education at the University of Stirling.

Influenza

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times and on what dates the working group set up to review winter planning arrangements in relation to the recent flu crisis has met; who its members are and when its first proposals are expected.

Susan Deacon: In spite of unprecedented levels of activity in many parts of Scotland, the NHS acquitted itself extremely well in the light of recent winter pressures through a combination of sound planning and the sheer commitment and hard work of its staff.

  However, there is no room for complacency. As part of its aim of continual improvement of services for patients, the NHS in Scotland will, with its planning partners, be reviewing winter planning arrangements. As part of these arrangements, I have already intimated that I am commissioning a group representing a wide range of interests to consider how those arrangements can be improved in future.

  I expect to be in a position to commission that group shortly so that its recommendations can inform planning for next winter.

Information Technology

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with Her Majesty’s Government or member states of the EU about the introduction of a Europe-wide qualification in IT and computing and, if so, what has been the outcome.

Henry McLeish: The proposed introduction of a Europe-wide qualification in basic IT skills was discussed at the Special European Council meeting in Lisbon on 23-24 March. The proposal is at an early stage but Scottish Executive officials have held preliminary discussions with colleagues in the Department for Education and Employment, and there will be close liaison on future developments.

Information Technology

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council on developing a strategic approach for the provision of tuition in IT skills to students and, if so, what has been the outcome.

Henry McLeish: There has been no such discussion between the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.

  Ministers are precluded from directing SHEFC in its allocation of funding to institutions for specific courses.

  However, in my recent letter of guidance to SHEFC, I encouraged the council to develop a clear strategic framework within which it can help the development and delivery of a knowledge economy. Specifically, I encouraged the council to develop IT in teaching and learning.

Lip Reading

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 from it and local authorities to train (a) lip-readers and (b) teachers of lip-reading.

Iain Gray: In the years 1999-2000 and 2000-01, no funding is available from the Scottish Executive to train (a) lip-readers and (b) teachers of lip-reading.

  We do not know what funding is available for this purpose from local authorities, as this information is not collected.

Lip Reading

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what publicity is currently funded by it or any other publicly funded body to promote awareness of lip-reading.

Iain Gray: Currently no publicity is funded by the Scottish Executive to promote awareness of lip reading. However, the Social Work Services inspectorate published in 1998 an Inspection Report Sensing Progress , on social work services to people who are sensorily impaired. This report drew attention to lip-reading and the benefits it gave for deaf and hard of hearing people. This report has been widely circulated. In addition the Scottish Executive provides funding for a range of voluntary organisations which provide services for deaf people.

Mental Health

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent per capita on treating mental illness in each of the last three years for which figures are available, broken down by health board, in (a) psychiatric hospitals and (b) the community.

Susan Deacon: Mental illness is equated with the specialities of General Psychiatry, Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry.

  The information available from health boards regarding expenditure on mental illness treatment is provided on the basis of patient category i.e. inpatient, outpatient, day-patient and community. It is therefore not possible to identify the expenditure on patients treated in psychiatric hospitals alone.

  The information provided in the following table groups the expenditure for inpatients, outpatients and day-patients to provide a total hospital figure.

  The health board expenditure reflects the costs of services purchased, and may not equate exactly with the cost of treatment for mental illness.

  The table provides per capita expenditure, per health board, for hospital and community provision of mental illness treatment for the period 1996-97 up to and including 1998-99.

  


 


Expenditure per 
  capita in hospitals
  

Expenditure per 
  capita in the community
  



Health Board
  

1996-97
  

1997-98
  

1998-99
  

1996-97
  

1997-98
  

1998-99
  






£
  

£
  

£
  

£
  

£
  

£
  



Argyll & Clyde
  

79
  

79
  

80
  

0
  

2
  

3
  



Ayrshire & Arran
  

59
  

55
  

68
  

5
  

5
  

7
  



Borders
  

75
  

71
  

72
  

10
  

12
  

12
  



Dumfries & Galloway
  

67
  

71
  

70
  

4
  

4
  

4
  



Fife
  

69
  

66
  

68
  

3
  

5
  

5
  



Forth Valley
  

74
  

72
  

75
  

3
  

6
  

6
  



Grampian
  

74
  

76
  

78
  

2
  

3
  

5
  



Greater Glasgow
  

68
  

70
  

67
  

11
  

11
  

17
  



Highland
  

64
  

60
  

59
  

4
  

5
  

6
  



Lanarkshire
  

49
  

58
  

59
  

6
  

5
  

5
  



Lothian
  

77
  

79
  

84
  

2
  

3
  

3
  



Orkney
  

51
  

45
  

39
  

5
  

5
  

5
  



Shetland
  

17
  

20
  

18
  

4
  

4
  

4
  



Tayside
  

93
  

93
  

95
  

6
  

8
  

8
  



Western Isles
  

68
  

73
  

70
  

4
  

4
  

4
  



Average
  

70
  

71
  

73
  

5
  

6
  

7
  



  Source: Scottish Health Service Costs 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99 (SFR 13.0).

  Note: Weighted population is used to allow health board comparisons and has been used to calculate the per capita spend. Note that an updated figure was not available for 1998-99, so the 1997-98 weighted population figures were used.

National Parks

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what was the cost of preparing, printing and publishing  National Parks for Scotland ; how many copies were published and whether using less expensive paper would have enabled more copies to be provided to the public.

Sarah Boyack: The cost of printing the consultation document on the draft National Parks (Scotland) Bill was £22,000. There were also unquantified Scottish Executive staff costs included in the preparation and distribution of the document. Over 2,500 copies of the document have been distributed. Cost of paper was not a factor in determining the number of copies printed. The Bill was also published on the Intranet.

New Opportunities Fund

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the policy commitments it has made which involve money from the New Opportunities Fund specifying, in each case, the exact amount involved.

Rhona Brankin: In accordance with the Government’s policy directions in August 1998, the New Opportunities Fund is supporting the following initiatives in Scotland:

  


Healthy Living Centres
  

£34.5 million
  



Out of school hours activities:
  



Childcare Programme
  

£25.3 million
  



Learning (including summer schools)
  

£23.6 million
  



ICT training:
  



Teachers/ school librarians
  

£23.23 million
  



Public library staff
  

£ 2.37 million
  



Digitisation of educational & 
  learning materials
  

£50.00 million (for 
  UK)
  



  A second group of initiatives, was announced by the Government in autumn 1998, for which they issued policy directions in April 1999. The Scottish share of these initiatives will be:

  


Cancer prevention, detection, treatment 
  and care
  

£17.25 million
  



Green spaces and sustainable communities
  

£14.38 million (including 
  £10.78 million for Scottish Land Fund)
  



Community access to lifelong learning 
  (CALL)
  

£23.00 million

Organ Transplants

Ms Margaret Curran (Glasgow Baillieston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases there have been in Scotland where the wrong organ has been transplanted, how such cases were investigated and what the outcome was of any such investigations.

Susan Deacon: We are not aware of any cases in Scotland where the wrong organ has been transplanted. There was, however, a case in Glasgow in 1997 where the wrong organ was removed. The matter is currently subject to legal restrictions.

Pay Settlements

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why there is no link between Pay Review Body pay settlements and those groups outwith the review process.

Mr Jack McConnell: Pay settlements are determined in light of the particular circumstances of each individual group of staff. The terms of reference for Pay Review Bodies require them to take account of the need to recruit, retain and motivate staff; the funds available to organisations as set out in Departmental Expenditure Limits; targets for the delivery of services, and the UK Government’s inflation target of 2.5%. These same factors provide the basis for the Scottish Executive’s approach to the pay of all other public sector groups for which Ministers are responsible.

Police

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1984 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 October 1999, when the results of the wide-ranging review of the structure of police forces will be published.

Mr Jim Wallace: I expect to receive an interim report from the Steering Group shortly. Depending on the conclusions and recommendations, further work may be required before a final report can be published.

Rail Network

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2310 by Sarah Boyack on 1 February 2000, whether (a) it will produce a revised table to show how much public sector investment has been funded to date in Scotland’s rail network from sources other than the Scottish Block and how much investment is anticipated from the same sources in the period up to 2003-04; (b) it will state whether total investment is expected to match the £271 million cumulative reduction in revenue support over the same time period and (c) whether it has made or will make any representations to Her Majesty’s Treasury to ensure that reductions in revenue support are vired to support public sector capital investment in the rail network.

Sarah Boyack: The rail network is in the private sector. Investment in the network is funded in various ways, including direct funding from the public sector and charges paid by train operators who are themselves supported by the public sector. The table below shows the amount of public sector funding going into, or contributing towards, the rail network in Scotland and which comes from sources outside the Assigned Budget.

  At the time of letting the franchises it was not the Government’s intention to direct cost savings to investment in the rail network but rather to secure the provision of the existing level of service provision (i.e. the Public Service Requirement), plus agreed enhancements, at a reduced level of public sector support.

  The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority concerning publicly funded investment in the rail network.

  Public Funding of Scottish Rail Network from Outwith Assigned Budget (£ millions)

  


YEAR


OPRAF payments 
  to ScotRail1


SSRA Funds (RPP 
  & IFF)3


Freight Facilities 
  Grants from DETR3


Track Access 
  Grants Payments from DETR4


OPRAF payments 
  to Virgin Trains (Cross Country services)5


OPRAF payments 
  to Virgin Trains (West Coast services)5


OPRAF payments 
  to GNER5




1996-97
1997-98*
  

 135.982

 
 

The contracts so 
  far awarded amount to £2.01 million. 
  

30.68
115.93
  

5.83
76.63
  

61.47
55.05
  



1998-99**
  

130.902

 
 
 

101.45
  

70.21
  

37.40
  



1999-2000***
  

120.39
  

0.80
  

6.60
  
 

86.78
  

59.24
  

17.36
  



2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
  

112.88
105.89
100.56
  
 
 
 

78.08
71.55
53.33
  

56.69
55.19
(4.10)
  

6.56
2.11
0.14
  



2003-04
  

97.31
  
 
 
 

42.77
  

(55.66)
  

6




TOTAL
  

803.91
  

0.80
  

6.60
  

2.01
  

580.57
  

264.03
  

180.09
  



  * Feb 1997 prices ** Feb 1998 prices *** 1999–2004: Feb 1999 prices.

  Notes:

  1. The OPRAF payments to ScotRail will fall to be met from the Assigned Budget from a date to be determined.

  2. The figures for 1997-98 and 1998-99 include incentive payments to ScotRail.

  3. Future SSRA funded schemes and FFG will be awarded on the basis of individual application and therefore can not be anticipated.

  4. Certain DETR TAG awards include freight services on the Scottish network. A separate breakdown for Scotland is not available. Each award is made on an individual basis and the duration of each project may differ. The amount shown is the total volume of the awards.

  5. The figures for GNER and both services operated by Virgin Trains are the total OPRAF payments. Amounts in brackets will be paid by the train operating companies to OPRAF. Separate breakdowns for Scotland are not available.

  6. Franchise terminates 31 March 2003.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commission a study into reduction of the journey time on the Inverness to Edinburgh railway line.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has no plans to conduct a feasibility study. Railtrack is committed to a programme of structural works which will increase line speeds between Inverness and Perth. In conjunction with the introduction of faster trains by ScotRail, these improvements will provide an initial journey time reduction of five minutes between Inverness and Edinburgh by 2004. In addition, GNER and Virgin Trains have made bids to replace the current inter-city franchise serving Inverness. Each has proposed introducing faster diesel trains on routes north of Edinburgh.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the savings arising from the reduction in franchise payments to ScotRail will be reinvested in the rail industry or in public transport.

Sarah Boyack: When they were let, the 25 passenger rail franchises in Great Britain were designed to reduce steadily the Government’s support for passenger rail services. This reduction is treated by the Treasury as a general saving to the Exchequer.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail (a) the powers it has to access funding from the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority (SSRA) and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), (b) the mechanism for direction and control of expenditure by the SSRA and the SRA and (c) the requests or representations made for funding from the SSRA.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has no direct access to funds under the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority’s Railway Passenger Partnership Scheme (RPP). The scheme is administered by the SSRA for the whole of the United Kingdom with the objective of providing an additional source of investment for schemes that would not otherwise take place on a commercial basis.

  To date there have been six awards for RPP in total of which, in Scotland, one award of £800,000 has been made for Edinburgh Crossrail. Two further Scottish schemes have pre-qualified for investment under the scheme.

Renewable Energy

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to make the manufacturing industry aware of the opportunities for production of the necessary plant and equipment offered by the renewable energy sector.

Sarah Boyack: Scottish Enterprise has carried out research into the business opportunities offered by renewable energy, and has presented the results to Scottish companies using a series of roadshows. These events have attracted interest from a variety of companies and, as a direct result, several of these companies are already pursuing opportunities for new business.

Road Safety

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to improve the external safety signage on buses and in particular on school buses.

Sarah Boyack: Road traffic law, including vehicle safety standards, is a reserved matter under the Scotland Act. In particular, the UK Parliament is responsible for changes to the legislation governing the use of the signs required to be displayed by school buses when transporting children to and from school.

Road Safety

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3820 by Sarah Boyack on 16 February 2000, which local authorities are currently implementing pilot projects evaluating the effectiveness of 20 mph pilot schemes not including expensive engineering measures and whether it will place this information in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Sarah Boyack: I refer Ms Elder to the reply I gave her to questions S1W-4975 and S1W-3820.

Road Safety

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3820 by Sarah Boyack on 16 February 2000, whether, if the pilot projects using relatively inexpensive engineering measures show such measures to be ineffective, it will consider funding more expensive measures designed to reduce road deaths.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive provides local authorities with a block allocation for expenditure on a number of services. It is for each council to consider the priority to be given to the installation of traffic-calmed 20mph zones, in terms of all the services for which it is responsible, and to allocate resources accordingly. These arrangements give local authorities flexibility to determine what measures are required to meet local needs and circumstances.

Roads

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the relevant local authorities about viable and traffic-reducing alternatives to the M74 extension proposal.

Sarah Boyack: As I made clear when announcing the conclusions of the Strategic Roads Review, further consideration of the M74 scheme is for the relevant local authorities. This consideration should be set in the context of the authorities’ Local Transport Strategies and should involve a review of alternative transport solutions in the area.

Task Forces

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of expenditure on external contracts for public relations and lobbying activities incurred by each task force it inherited on or has set up since 1 July 1999.

Mr Jack McConnell: No expenditure has been incurred on contracts for public relations or lobbying activities by any of the task forces.